


Bright nights.

by Troussolo



Series: The Hadley-Devanly chronicles [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Coming of Age, Family Dynamics, Friendship/Love, Metaphors, Multi, Slice of Life, the beginning is calm but things get more mature afterwards, will add tags and triggers as they become relevant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-02-26 11:47:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18716425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Troussolo/pseuds/Troussolo
Summary: Part I : bright nights.Nuits éclairées. (French)The nineteen years old Noah Devanly's daily life is disturbed by the arrival of his older cousin, freshly kicked out because of an outrageous act of defying his family's values. The newcomer unknowingly endorses the role of the first domino, prompting a chain reaction that might disturb the carefully built dynamic of Noah's reconstituted family.Sometimes, it takes mundane to provoke the extraordinary, which Noah is going to learn among the complex bindings of family, lovers and friends.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey !
> 
> It's been a while since I posted anything on here and it feels good to be back. I'm stepping out of my comfort zone with this — a brand new original work, which will you'll hopefully enjoy reading as much as I like writing.
> 
> The length of the chapters may vary to become longer. I'm still getting back into writing under publishing format.
> 
> Of course, I'm open to any type of criticism and would actually love feedback ! So please, don't refrain. As stated in the tags (which I still use for writer talk), I plan on writing much more sinful things starting newt chapter maybe. This story is not only about sex though and that's why it felt fair that I properly outlined the background first... or at least attempted to.
> 
> TL;DR -> hey, it's been a while, glad to be back. chapters will likely get longer and discuss more mature topics.
> 
> Enjoy !

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William arrives to his aunt and uncle's house after having been kicked out by his parents. There is already a lot to unfold on his side, and to figure out about the other end.

"Noah, come greet your cousin !"

The young man stifled a laugh after his aunt had so sternly called on his younger relative. His suitcase was still unattended in the hallway, next to the shoe cupboard. From then, a naturally well-lit hall les to the kitchen where he was sitting to keep everyone that passed updated on his life.

"Your voice was too quiet, ma'am."

"Or he's too invested in chatting with Anne to hear me." Then, turning her head towards the dining room, " _Noah !_ "

A couple of seconds later, the so-called Noah half-ran, half-glided in. He looked pleasantly surprised by the company he found, but apologized to his mother before to mind it.

"Had I called thrice, you wouldn't have remained a Devanly much longer."

Noah puffed his cheeks. "What's with the number three ?"

"You wouldn't understand. Don't stand there, go on !"

"Will !" As if a new set of emotions had been unlocked by her permission, he immediately ran off to hug his cousin. William laughed and returned his embrace, kindly rubbing Noah's back. "Ah, my favorite."

Noah stuck his tongue out. "Where have you been ?"

Will glanced at his aunt, whose focus had returned to her preparations. She spoke to her son without looking up. "He'll be staying with us for a few weeks. We'll see how well he blends in with your step-relatives, but I'm not expecting a miracle. Clear up enough space for him in your room, will you ?"

Noah listened carefully and nodded at the end.

"Right now ?"

"Have you said hello ?"

The boys exchanged a slightly confused glance. Parents...

"Yes ?"

"Then, off you go. Shoo," she added, finally turning to prod his arm with the clean end of a spatula.

Noah laughed while scurrying off. William shook his head. This boy was a ray of sunshine.

"He's not getting any taller."

"We shouldn't keep thinking of that," Auntie laughed. "My son is beautiful regardless."

William didn't voice his agreement, but didn't think less. Noah was growing up to be gorgeous indeed, spared from the teenage plague of skin disasters and unharmonious body changes. "Is uncle home ?"

"No, he has gone to the post office. He should be back soon."

William nodded. "The only Devanly, hm ?"

"He's proud of his name."

"Is Noah the oldest ?"

"No, there are two slightly older than him. Twins, I reckon."

"Well, I'd love to meet them. Think I'll end up sleeping in Noah's room ?"

"Likely, yes. I'd prefer, just to be certain you don't get involved in child's play."

"Even though he has two elders."

Auntie sighed. "Kids, you know. I didn't tell them why we were hosting you. Thought you'd know to do that better."

"Thank you, Auntie. Where — oh, I think he took my suitcase already."

"You should go after him and make sure he doesn't drop it on his own feet. I'll call someone else to help me around."

The woman had ways of giving orders. William shook his head. He felt a ghost of movement pass among his shortened curls.

"Sure. Thank you again, for everything."

She didn't reply, though he saw her smile. So he stood up and went, following his younger cousin's steps. Instead of going straight through the hall to the main door and the stairs, he went all the way through the dining, then the living room. There were many boys in the household, which was still held cleanly. He greeted them with a timid gesture. The teens didn't feel compelled to go to him. He didn't bother doing much more and exited the room. He did not expect a miracle either.

Once he had reached the first floor, he looked around and instead of getting lost, called for Noah. Following the sound of the answer, he came to the boy's room. It was a comfortable space for one, maybe too little for two, especially when one was nineteen and the other, twenty-three.

"I'm sorry."

"It's cool. I like having you around."

"Where is Anne ?"

Noah looked confused for a moment, then his face lit up upon understanding. He had paused the bedmaking to think.

"You mean Jude ? My friend ?"

"Yes, I meant Jude."

For some reason, Noah referred to her as Jude while everyone else called her Anne, or Anne-Judith for the full version — because that was the girl's name, William belatedly learned.

"We were talking over the phone. Tonight is a no-more-guests night."

He rushed through making the bed under William's amused supervision then sat on it. Seeing him still, the older boy remembered what he was after.

"Have you taken my suitcase ?"

"Yes." Noah pointed at it, still unopened in a corner. "I thought it was okay, since..."

No one would welcome him in their room. Noah looked a little saddened by the treatment his cousin was to face. Why couldn't all kids be as kind as the parents that adopted them ? He loved him dearly and would inevitably feel hurt when there was proof that not only others did not necessarily, but they would also make life harder for Will.

"It's fine, buddy. Auntie kinda told me that and I knew before coming."

He pulled the desk chair to sit, not exactly in front of Noah. The boy's room featured a large curtainless window and so many random items that didn't seem like they wouldn't fit in the same space. There was an antique radio that still worked — Noah had demonstrated it once and they had spent a few hours looking for a show worty of listening to —, books, notebooks, pages of nonsense written by Noah and his friends.

"Will, what happened at your place ?"

William bit his cheek not to laugh. "I finally got that tattoo. Want to see ?"

Noah nodded. He had been in the secret of this plan, but didn't know what kind of tattoo since will had spoken of lightning, he imagined something like that, a white dented line running across William's back. He gasped at the sight that was revealed to him instead. He was horrified out of reflex, frightened before to remind himself that it was only ink sitting durably under his cousin's skin. There was a pattern of lightning, but not the eletric arc — Will had settled for the burn that resulted from it. It was artful and so very realistic, Noah couldn't tear his eyes off it. A thick distorted line simulated the path of the burn through Will's skin. From it originated a countless amount of Lichtenberg fractals, all painted in tones that blended with Will's natural skin tones as though it was a real burn.

"It's insane. Can I touch it ?"

"Go ahead, it has healed already."

Noah expected to feel bumps over the heavily scarred area. The perfection and realness of the art didn't match the smoothness he found under his fingertips. He removed his hand and leaned back. William turned to face him and walked backwards to the bed, where he sat to wear his shirt.

"How much was it ?"

"A lot. It took a few sessions to complete, but I'm very happy with the final thing. It's like the artist has read my mind, you know ?"

Noah shook his head, still in awe. "I'm very happy for you. That's still — that's just crazy."

"I know. So that's what happened, they saw me heading to the tattoo parlor and kicked me out."

"Sorry."

"I have a good job. It's not going to be a problem."

"I wasn't discussing money, Will."

"Still gonna be fine. Tell me about you, what did I miss ?"

Noah scrunched up his nose. "I like men."

"Since when ?"

"Since always."

William nodded. "You've told anyone yet ?"

"You're the last one to know, actually."

They laughed. William cursed, fakely offended that he hadn't been told sooner, then asked how it went. Noah shrugged.

"It went well. They gave me the talk again, but they replaced _girl_ with _boy_..."

"Okay, guess I don't need to tell you that STDs are still a thing."

Noah threw a pillow at him. "No, thanks. I'm not an idiot."

Will tossed the pillow back. "You're an idiot for pretty people. Even more so when they give you attention."

Noah ran a hand through his fluffled hair to try and make them look somewhat arranged. His blue eyes shone with mischief. "Dunno what you're talking about."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since writing with OCs is new to me, I wonder if I gave enough defining traits for each character and if the delivery was swift enough... Ah, you'll tell me (I hope) !
> 
> Oh, also I mainly speak/read French, so apologies about the spacing, if that bothered you.


	2. A new home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William gets a grasp of the Devanly's family dynamic. His cousin, he notices, is more of a key element that it would appear at first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here ! Writing such thing is always kind of a struggle to me, because I always make them move faster than they need to. Also, I feel like the way I'm writing family dynamics could be more interesting. You tell me. Enjoy !

Dinner was well on the way when William and Noah remembered to join Auntie downstairs. Noah's elders had almost pulled their stepbrother apart for a playful jest when the woman sent them on another duty. They were a boy and a girl William didn't remember having seen often, so close in age and features that he assumed they were false twins.

"Whose are they ?"

"Mind your manners, William." He apologized. "They are your uncle's. He won the rights of custody."

"They seem to be getting along well."

"I'd hope, since they have grown together."

She gave him a few plates to place at the center of the table. The teens he had seen when going up Noah's room had left. He wondered if he would see them again. Truly, he did not know much about the Devanlys. They didn't do charity, but they were always hosting a cousin, a niece or a nephew. The older girl helped him set the table. She had hairs too thin to be braided, too long for bobby pins to be an improvement. Once they were done, both lingered around, unwilling to leave without having spoken. Will broke the silence.

"How old are you ?"

"I'm twenty. You ?"

"Twenty-three."

He felt a guilty satisfaction, like being older would change anything to his status of guest. At that age, a year was nothing, but it was also a world when looked back on. She gave him an unimpressed shrug.

"I think Auntie is calling."

So they also referred to the woman as their aunt. She didn't wait for his answer and went. William found that there were too many people in the kitchen already. He didn't know what to do, so he exited the house not to keep being a hindrance. He sat under the porch. The day had been decent even though the night was cold. Uncle parked his car shortly after. William stood, expecting to be greeted, but the man simply invited him inside with a heartwarming smile.

Everything stilled when he stepped in the kitchen. He went to greet his wife first, with a kiss to each cheek. Then Noah, who returned the embrace with the unbridled passion of a child. Surprisingly, he then turned to William and shook his hand. This felt special. The others received a greeting in passing, between ruffled hair and shoulder pats. When he asked, the girl told him it had always been like this.

The king greeted his queen and his rightful heir. Only then, could he direct his benevolence towards anyone else. The sin of the unfavored was that of their mothers.

They ate and spoke of their day; Uncle had a formal meeting with his editor colleagues, Auntie made progress in her publications. When Noah wanted to speak, he was interrupted by the older boy, who claimed his birthright to make his step-relative quiet. This minor disturbance aside, everything seemed well. Uncle and Auntie left the youngsters to decide how they would handle the remaining chores. Immediately, an unsaid agreement made that William was removed from the organization. Ten minutes later, everything was spotless. William whistled appreciatively. Those kids sure knew what they were doing.

Bedtime came around the corner some time later. They were all old enough to simply be discarded instead of told to go to sleep. Auntie stopped William before he had gone, too.

"You've been observing a lot," she pointed out. He agreed. "Try to be more active starting tomorrow. You're the oldest, so go to them. It's the only way."

"Yes, Auntie."

"Now that the kids are gone," Uncle said, "mind showing us this tattoo ?"

William obediently stepped back in front of them. He turned around, then removed his shirt. The artwork was slightly less impressive under the artificial light, though it looked even more genuine. They said nothing, then started whispering to each other. When William thought they had seen it enough, he put his shirt back on.

"Why ?" Uncle asked.

"I felt scarred. At least, now, the outside matches the inside."

"Your generation has made such a big thing from the quest for oneself," Uncle stated. William assumed he meant it in a negative manner, even though the man's voice did not betray his opinion. "Yet you're losing yourselves even faster than we did."

"I thought you'd know a little more than this about kids seeking their identity."

Auntie raised a brow. Uncle nodded, silently inviting him to develop.

"Noah is gay, isn't he ?"

"Safe to say he didn't look for even as long as it took to tattoo your back. But you got my question wrong, Will."

William stifled a laugh. "Forgive me, sir— _Uncle._ "

"You knew how your parents would have felt about this. Why did you still do it ?"  
\---

He tiptoed in Noah's room. Despite the late hour, the boy was still awake, aligning greek letters and variables with a certain interest.

"Hey."

His voice was the echo of Noah's greeting. So, this was his life for now. He opened his suitcase and pulled a more casual shirt as well as sweatpants.

"How'd it go ?"

"Fairly well." Will answered, which was the truth. "Your parents are tolerant."

"I'm that lucky," Noah agreed. "If that came up... you didn't tell them I knew, right ?"

"No. Would it have been troublesome ?"

"Kinda. Mom gets really protective sometimes."

"I didn't," William repeated. "They just wanted to see it."

"What did they say ?"

"I don't know. They were whispering."

Noah laughed. "Shit."

"Language, Noah."

"You swear all the time," Noah pointed out.

"I'm twenty-three."

"And ?"

"Let me count... and a four months."

Noah playfully rolled his eyes. William laughed, too. His cousin was a breath of fresh air.

"How are Anne and Avery doing ?"

"They're well. We're all struggling with the same classes."

"Nice, good luck."

Noah bowed his head to accept the blessing. "What about you ?"

"What, me ?"

"Kicking yourself out isn't the only thing that happened since we talked last, is it ?"

"No," William said with another laugh. "It isn't. But there's nothing of interest. I still work at the same place, I make a little more now."

"Cool."

"Yeah. I'm going to change."

"Sure."

William headed to the bathroom. To fit in this carefully crafted dynamic would be quite the challenge. A moment later, he had returned and decided to climb in bed.

"Which one is yours ?"

"Low."

He went up. "Hey, I forgot to tell Auntie that I work tomorrow."

Noah shrugged. "Just tell her tomorrow morning, she's up early."

"You're not ?"

For all answer, Noah laughed a prettily mischievous laugh. He turned off the lights, though none of them was sleepy enough to fall right away.

"How was it ?"

"Huh ?"

"Getting inked."

William let the memories come to the surface. Thanks to the darkness, he didn't need to close his eyes.

"I had found a skilled artist. It felt. . . nice."

"I heard the back is hard to tattoo because it hurts."

"It does," William confirmed. "It hurts more for some people than others though."

"I see."

"What are you curious about ?"

Noah answered after a short moment. "The pain."

"What happened ?"

"Nothing much." Noah paused. "I just wondered how would that work."

"It depends. You don't look like you would like it for what it is, though."

"Why ?"

"Because at the end of the day, pain still hurts. Now _sleep_ , Noah. I don't fancy facing Auntie's wrath for having kept you up."


End file.
